Sports in Burundi:
Civil
war and instability has seriously hampered the development of
sports in Burundi. The Country has a poorly developed sporting
infrastructure
which means that Burundi’s participation on the international
sporting stage is limited. Football is the most popular sport
in Burundi and the National Team known as Les Hirondelles (the
Sparrows),
participate in the regional East and Central Africa Cup.
The
team is yet to make an impact on a larger scale and has repeatedly
in
recent years failed to qualify for either the Africa Cup of
Nations or the World Cup despite displaying an array of talent
and potential.
Burundi’s biggest sporting export is Shabani Nonda who
plays for Italian Serie A team AS Roma. Prior to joining the
Italian Club, he featured in the impressive Champions league
campaign of 2004 for AS Monaco of France and was the top scorer
in the French League for the 2002/2003 season. Now a citizen
of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Shabani turns out for
the Congolese National team.
Athletics: Burundi won its first Olympic Medal at the Atlanta
Olympics in 1996 when Venuste Niyongabo won the 5,000 metre
men’s
race.
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